In their own words...

"Fit for Joy is a raw and emotional story that is told from the heart of Teles. She takes you along for the journey she faced including all the highs and lows. A personal account of the struggles she faced to find a healthy center balance. Fit for Joy is full of reflection and relatable struggles that many people deal with daily. A really inspiring read."

~ Patti Loveday ~ Blogger - Author, Lovely Loveday

"An inspiring look at a journey that aims to set the foundations of healthy living through a mindset of healing the inner-world."

~ April Pfender, Bestselling Author and Meditation Instructor

“Valeria’s story is raw, real and from the very depth of her soul. I’m sure many of us in the business of fitness can relate to parts of her journey. Reminding us we are more than our bodies, we are souls having experiences in our body, in search of our true JOY”.

~ Tamilee Webb - TamileeWebb.com ~ Buns of Steel and Abs of Steel

"More so than most fitness autobiographies, Fit for Joy goes beyond advocating a belief or charting a path: it surveys the barriers to achievement which are created by both self and other influences.

An acceptance of spiritual reflection is one prerequisite for thoroughly appreciating this story's approach: something readers might not anticipate from a fitness saga. Those who hold such openness will discover a treasure within: the treasure of Teles' exploration and clear discussion of a process that can be duplicated by others, avoiding the common pitfalls too many may experience."

~ Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer - MidWest Book Review

"Dear Valeria,

Albena here. Just wanted to let you know that I finished reading your book last week and I am absolutely blown away! What an incredible, true and deeply moving message! It resonated with me so much, even though I don't have exactly your background, many of my life experiences are very similar, especially in my dance career so far and what you're sharing about finding the joy in what you are doing relates to me so strongly!

I admire your honesty and courage to bring this to the world and I would love to get in touch with you - just to talk more!

Much love and many hugs."

~ Albena

Your message is a wonderful reminder everything in my life is possible and the only obstacle is the one we set for ourselves. Carpe diem seize life and enjoy for it is too short and before we know it the ride is over.

~ Miguel

Valeria, your writing is inspirational, motivational, so beautifully descriptive, that as I read one word to the next, it was easy to imagine myself on that mountain. Not only are you a beautiful person inside and out, so are your words. I look forward to reading “Fit for Joy”. If this is sample, then I have no doubt, your success will have no bounds.

~ Lizette

Thank you Val, for sharing so honestly and openly about your deep struggles and your path back to light. I certainly relate to both.

~ Carlos D.

Valeria is an amazing woman with a beautiful heart and soul within her. Her writing inspiration is an encouragement motivation to us all to stop, be at peace, be at harmony to listen and appreciate with great gratitude this beautiful and amazing life that we have. Thank you so much Valeria for your insight, inspiration and encouragement to us all - what a beautiful soul you are!! Your friend Jeff D.

~ Jeff D.

Lovely imagery with a poignant message. Valeria has helped me to listen more carefully than I ever have before to the songs of my heart!

~ Laura

This is very insightful and relatable piece. A sense of comfort and hope comes to anyone who reads this. I would love to hear more from this author.

Karen was my last client for the day. We met at seven sharp, right after Steve.

Karen was an obese woman I trained twice a week. She was thirty years old, weighed 250 pounds, and was 5’ 2”. However, these numbers don’t say anything about her as a person. She was a painter who owned her own gallery in Manhattan. The serenity in her eyes and the way she smiled for no reason introduced her to me before she even told me her name.

She had been married for more than five years to someone who was in good shape. I knew this because her husband came to pick her up after our sessions. The conversation we had the first day we met left me pondering about life for days.

I asked the same question I asked every client before we began the program: What are your three main fitness goals?

Karen said she only had one goal: to enjoy the workouts.

I recall looking into her eyes as if she had not understood my question. I rephrased it, and this time I was more specific.

“I understand, Karen, and I will ensure the exercises will be fun, but what I meant was, how many pounds do you want to lose?”

Again, she answered with a smile and said she didn’t care about the weight; she just wanted to feel good during and after the workouts. Furthermore, she said it didn’t matter if she didn’t lose any weight at all. Her peaceful eyes and joyful smile reinforced the truth of her words.

I could not believe this woman and how out of touch she was with reality. She was obese, for God’s sake! She could actually die of a heart attack at any moment, and my mind refused to believe that anyone could be at peace with a body like hers. It couldn’t be possible.

I insisted. I tried to force her to make a deal with me by asking her to agree on losing one to two pounds per week.

Once more—with the same serene, happy look on her face—she replied that I didn’t understand her. Patiently, she repeated that she was fine with her weight and that she enjoyed her work. She was a person who loved and was loved by her family and friends. Her life was a blessing, and she was grateful for what she had. There was nothing else to be added or removed to make her happier. The workouts with me were just to get her body moving while she had some fun.

I wasn’t amazed by her attitude, because I neither understood nor believed in what she was saying at the time. Nevertheless, after our encounter that day, I went home thinking about her, and I remembered a thought I’d had when I was a teenager, one that had returned many times throughout my life.

I would die young.

I believed I would not reach the age of thirty, despite being physically healthy.

Perhaps intuitively, I knew that my heart could fail at any time because of my lack of understanding of what life was really about: love and kindness.

I am convinced that Karen became my client for a reason—to teach me that to be healthy is to be loving. She trained with me for almost a year and never lost any weight.